Baby Octopus in Tomato Sauce

I started by marinating my mollusks in a bath of avocado oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, tarragon, fresh garlic, sea salt and black pepper for 24 hours in a plastic bag.

As a side note, my first choice is to grill these beauties outdoors but the beautiful California sunshine has been playing a wicked game of cat and mouse.

Marinated Baby Octopus

Once the time was up, I drained them on paper towels to remove excess moisture. This trick helps keep them from steaming versus sautéing during the high-heat cooking process.

After sautéing my baby octopus for about 4 minutes, I added diced Vidalia onion and a jar of my favorite pre-made marinara sauce. Honestly, I buy the White Linen brand from Costco and it has yet to fail me.

Sauteed Octopus

Marinated Baby Octopus

I allow the flavors to marry for about 2 minutes on the stove top, and then stick the entire cast iron skillet in the oven for 60 minutes.